Hearts exchanged
by doc boy
Summary: Sakura invites Shaoran over for Christmas, yet the two kids receive a present that goes beyond any material object...


Hearts exchanged

I do not own card captor Sakura

It was seven o'clock in the morning and Sakura just woke up from her slumber. She blinked a few times and sat up. Beside her, Kero Chan was sleeping peacefully. She smiled sweetly at him and covered him with his tiny blanket. Then, she got out of bed, got dressed, and went downstairs to eat breakfast.

"Morning." she said.

"Morning Sakura Chan" smiled her father.

"Morning Dad." she beamed.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked.

"Fine and you?"

"Same as always." He said and put a plate of food on the table.

"You want some pancakes?" he asked.

"Sure!" she cheered and sat down for some pancakes and orange juice for breakfast.

A while later….

"I'm going!" she said and sped off on her rollerblades towards school. While riding, she saw something near one of the houses.

"A Christmas tree!" she beamed.

"I love Christmas. I need to find a gift for my friends. I know what to get Tomoyo and the others and I know what to get Dad and Onni Chan but I haven't decided to what to get Shaoran for Christmas. I know he likes chocolate, but that would be too bland…" she said and trailed off into her thoughts trying to come up with something. After a few minutes, it hit her.

"I know!" she beamed.

Shortly after that…

Sakura was running up the stairs of her school and into her class where Shaoran was placing a vase on a shelf.

"Shaoran Kun!" she called out and he looked at her and his face turned red.

"Morning."

"Want to come over for Christmas?"

"Huh?" he sounded off.

"I know you live by yourself, I wanted to know if you would like to spend Christmas with us," she said but then her eyes squinted.

"Or perhaps, you have other plans?"

"I… I'm not really doing anything…" he stuttered.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Yay!" she cheered and extended her pinky and shook his own as his face became as red as a tomato…

Christmas was a week away. That day after school, Sakura asked her Dad if it was okay for him stay over for Christmas, to which he said the more the merrier, while Toya just grunted at the suggestion. But while Christmas was approaching, Sakura was getting increasingly tired in class and Shaoran was getting more and more worried. Plus, he noticed she had cuts and bandages on her fingers which made him all the more concerned. By the time the week was out, she fell asleep on her desk and Tomoyo had to wake her up. By now, Shaoran thought enough was enough, so he approached her.

"What's going?" he inquired.

"You said changing the cards doesn't make you tired anymore." He said.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me…" she smiled at him while rubbing her eyes. He frowned.

"Is it something you can't talk about?"

"Shaoran Kun…" she muttered. Then Tomoyo budded in.

"Sakura, we're going shopping today, remember?" she said and helped her up.

Before leaving, Sakura turned to face him.

"I'm really alright. I'll see you tomorrow at my place at six o'clock okay?" she said and walked out.

That evening, Sakura finished her secret project and got a good night's sleep for the first time in days. The next morning was Christmas Eve day and she was looking forward to spending the holyday with her best friend. Well, best boy friend that is. Gee, she never thought of it that way before. He was a boy and he was a friend, but was he more than just a friend? The more excited she got about tonight, the more she wondered about it and analyzed it. Then came the doorbell. She ran to the door to answer it, smiling to see his face.

"Hey Shaoran!" he beamed, overwhelmed with excitement, she brought him into a hug and pulled him inside by the arm, leaving him very embarrassed and very confused, yet somewhat elated by her sudden show of affection. He thanked her for her hospitality and placed her gift under the tree, then turned to look at her. She was wearing a purple, white dress that to her feet and it had white strings near her collar. He was wearing a green traditional Chinese outfit. They found themselves staring at each other's faces and both were blushing. Then one of them looked up. Mistletoe. Sakura gulped and Shaoran blushed. Knowing it was inevitable, they leaned forward, but before they could get much closer, someone went

"Don't even think about it kid…" and both kids jumped. Sakura looked sideways and saw her brother passing by carrying a basket of laundry.

"Onni Chan!" she yelled.

"Just looking out for you, monster…" he snickered.

"Looking out for what exactly? Shaoran is my friend. He's not gonna hurt me or anything." she said and Shaoran gave a reassuring nod.

"Whatever you say Sakura…" he said and went to the laundry room. On the way he passed by his dad.

"Why did he have to choose her out of all people?" he ranted.

"Who?" asked the man, puzzled.

"That Li, kid. It's clear he loves Sakura and she's totally oblivious to it. Why does it have to be him of all people?"

The man shrugged.

"He seems like a nice kid to me. He seems very protective of Sakura and she won't stay your little sister forever you know. I think she's in good hands. You don't have to be so protective of her." He said and Toya bit his lip. His father placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look at how happy they are." He said and motioned towards the kids downstairs who were engaged in a lively conversation, while munching on some Christmas cookies.

"I think Sakura loves him too but she just hasn't figured it out yet but they seem to make each other happy. Try to give her a break okay?" he said and Toya thought about his father's wise words.

"Sure." He said softly and walked on, pondering on his father's words.

That evening, the family ate dinner together and Toya kept a close eye at how the kids got along and liked each other. He was getting the impression that his father was right. He was making her happy, he was nice to her, and he knew he would keep her safe. As much as he hated to admit it, he has come to terms with the fact that maybe she was safe with him after all. But for now he decided to stay silent about it.

That night, the two kids slept in the living room, and chatted their little hearts out until they fell asleep.

The next morning they awoke to a snowy morning, obscured by the vapor and frost that materialized on their windows. Sakura was the first to wake up. When she realized it was Christmas morning, she hurried to her friend's side and shook him awake.

"Shaoran Kun, wake up! It's Christmas morning!" she beamed and giggled. He sat up, put on his slippers and they hurried to the Christmas tree and sat down beside it. Then the blush hit them. They sat there in an awkward silence. Finally Sakura spoke.

"Well, I guess I'll go first." She said and presented him with a small package.

"Merry Christmas, Shaoran Kun…" she smiled with a slight blush on her face, now that he was about to see the fruits of her effort over the past week. Shaoran took the package from her hand and unwrapped it. Inside it was a green scarf with a few red stripes on it. As soon as he saw it, his smile widened and his heart expanded.

"You made this yourself?" he asked.

"Yeah. That's why I haven't been getting much sleep lately."

His smile broadened yet he felt somewhat sad she had to work so hard to make him happy but decided not to tell her.

"This is great Sakura. Thank you." he smiled and she smiled too as they embraced in a quick hug. Then it was his turn. He handed her a small box as a gift.

"Merry Christmas, Sakura." he said and she gladly accepted his gift and opened it. When she saw what was in it, she beamed with joy and presented it in front of her.

"A new school bag! I've wanted this for years! This is great Shaoran. Thank you so much…" she beamed and he smiled at her.

"You're welcome."

Feeling like thanking him wasn't enough, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're the best." she smiled at him and he smiled back with a face full of blush. Then it became silent. Given the tender moments that transpired earlier and the peacefulness and tranquility of the situation, Shaoran decided now would be the best time to tell her how he feels.

"Listen Sakura… I… I…"

She looked at him.

"I love you." He confessed.

"I just wanted you to know that…" he said and looked away with a thick blush on his face. A few seconds later, her voice penetrated the silence.

"I love you too…" she squeaked and he looked at her.

"Very much…" she added and they both smiled. They slowly leaned forward as they put their hands on each other's shoulders until their lips met in a soft touch. The kiss was beyond anything they could have imagined. It felt like a rush of happiness and exhilaration, yet a certain amount of panic and anxiety but a good one. Shaoran placed his arms around her waist, as she placed hers around his neck as they kissed deeply and passionately. Finally, they broke apart from the kiss and rested in each other's embrace smiling from ear to ear, as they cuddled under the Christmas tree…

The end…

Well there you have it. Hope you guys enjoyed this little bit of holyday happiness (and cheesiness). I know I have. So anyway, I wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy holydays. And if you would kindly leave a review below, I'd greatly appreciate it.

See you around guys…


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